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STUD FEE SET AT $10,000
SAARLAND TO STAND AT HILL N DALE
REMSEN STAKES
Saarland to stand first season for $10,000 
Grade 2 winner Saarland will stand his first season for $10,000 in 2005 at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Lexington.
Jess Jackson bought an 80% interest in Saarland last month and retired the five-year-old son of Unbridled. Owner-breeder Cynthia Phipps retained a 20% interest in Kentucky-bred Saarland.
"We believe a fee of $10,000 live foal is great value for a classic-bred son of Unbridled out of multiple Grade 1 winner Versailles Treaty, by Danzig," Hill ‘n’ Dale President John Sikura said.
Saarland won five of 21 career starts, including a victory in the 2001 Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. He finished second to Aldebaran in the 2003 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park.
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Hill ‘n’ Dale to stand Saarland after Jackson acquires majority interest
Jess Jackson has acquired an 80% interest in Grade 2 winner Saarland and the principle owner of Kendall Jackson wineries has retired the five-year-old son of Unbridled to John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm near Lexington where he will stand next season.
Breeder Cynthia Phipps, who campaigned Saarland throughout his career, has retained a 20% interest in the bay horse who won the 2001 Remsen Stakes (G2) and finished second in the ’03 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) to eventual sprint champion Aldebaran.
Bred in Kentucky, Saarland is out of four-time Grade 1 winner Versailles Treaty, whose family includes graded stakes winner Lead Kindly Light, dam of Grade 1 winner Gold Fever, Grade 3 winner and sire Out of Place, and Grade 2 winner Jackpot.
"Jess Jackson plans to support the horse with a group of quality mares," said Emmanuel de Seroux, whose Narvick International brokered the deal. "We believe that Saarland has all the credentials to make a successful sire. A very good looking horse, he has an outstanding genetic pool, being by Unbridled out of Versailles Treaty, [he is] from one of the very best families in the American stud book, the female line of champion sire Exclusive Native."
Trained by Shug McGaughey, Saarland won five of 21 races lifetime and earned $595,250. He often competed against the best of his generation, contesting seven Grade 1s, winning a Grade 2 and placing in five other graded stakes. Saarland closed out his career winless in four starts at five, though he finished second in his career finale, an allowance race on June 27 at Belmont—his only start on turf—and finished second to Gygistar in the Westchester Handicap (G3).
Saarland’s connections have not decided on a stud fee.—Ed DeRosa
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Saarland Up in Time in Remsen
by Blood-Horse Staff
Date Posted: 11/24/2001 4:18:47 PM
Last Updated: 11/28/2001 12:07:09 PM
Next-to-last three furlongs from the wire, Cynthia Phipps' homebred Saarland rallied through the stretch to earn a narrow win over Nokoma in the $200,000 Remsen Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct Saturday.
"He's still learning and really doesn't know what his job is yet. He wants to come from behind, but you have to be aggressive with him to keep him in contact with the field," said winning jockey John Velazquez. "Nokoma was running in front of me, and I wanted to follow him inside. He got through coming off the turn, but I went outside instead. I thought he (Saarland) was going to put in an explosive run, but he was green and came little by little. Once he saw the horse inside of him, he really took off in the final yards. He galloped out great. I'm very high on him."
The win was the second straight for Velazquez, who piloted Smok'n Frolic to a wire-to-wire victory in the Demoiselle (gr. II) one race earlier. The jockey also won the fourth race aboard Kingsland.
The win marks the second in five starts for Saarland, who earned his owners $120,000 for his efforts. The 2-year-old son of Unbridled--Versaillles Treaty, by Danzig, is trained by Claude "Shug" McGaughey.
"Hopefully, he'll get a little stronger behind during the winter," said the trainer. "If he is able to kick at horses this way, I don't want to do anything to take him out of his game. He's going to learn a lot in the next two months. He's been steady at it all summer. When he broke his maiden, he went right into the Champagne and he stumbled at the start and bled a little bit. On Breeders' Cup Day, he just didn't run that good. Today, he never really ran until the last eighth of a mile. He beat a nice horse; I think that second horse (Nokoma) will be OK. ... He'll leave for Florida on Tuesday and he will be at Gulfstream."
Nokoma finished a neck behind the winner and three lengths clear of third-place Silent Fred. Robins Beauty came home fourth, followed by Monthir, Listen Here, Right too Refuse, Seat Open, and Jule Bandit.
Saarland paid $5.70, $3.70, and $2.90 as the favorite. Nokoma returned $5.40 and $4.10, and Silent Fred $4.60. The winning exacta combination paid $31.40.
"I've always thought the Remsen was a great race," said McGaughey. "I won it with Fast Play (1988) and Coronado's Quest ('97). When I left here with Coronado's Quest after the Remsen, I thought I had the real deal. I think I did have it, it's just that he went nuts. I can see Saarland coming back here for the Wood Memorial, I know he likes this track and he handled the ship over here fine."
